History
by CrimeLord
Summary: History is written by the victors, by the vanquished, and by almost everyone else involved. But the truth is lose forever. A shame, because history repeats itself. And twice now an Avatar failed.


A little something I whipped together. Two stories and a poem (though if you really hate poetry, you can skip past the poem). Two pasts, two stories, and a truth buried by time. Nothing like a dark vague summary to make people want to read your fic, but I digress.

Enjoy the story and leave a review (though I should mention that I like good reviews a lot better than bad ones)

Annoyingly Necessary Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

100 years ago, Sozin's Comet flew above the cloudless sky. A rock made out of pure heavenly fire, which gave the fire benders more power than they ever had before. And with this power, the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads.

To hear the Air Nomads tell the story, it is a tale of utter horror and unthinkable murder: The air nomads were peaceful monks, who spent their days meditating. They were good men who lived good lives and lived in peace. They were innocent. One day, the fire nation rose up and unjustly attacked. The air nomads could not withstand the cruelty and vicious power of the fire nation, their evil powered by the comet. The air nomads were slaughtered and would not fully recover for centuries. The peace was broken.

To hear the Fire Nation tell the story, it is a tale of righteous triumph and noble glory: The Air Nomad armies were preparing to take over the world. They were evil men who would stop at nothing less than the complete destruction of every other nation. They had to be stopped. So in a brave effort, the fire nation rose up and attacked. The air nomads could not withstand the bravery and righteous might of the fire nation, their skill fueled by the comet. The air demons were utterly defeated and would never have the chance to threaten the peace again.

What truly happened is lost to the sands of time, distorted by self-conscious nations and the silence of the dead. The truth is probably in there somewhere, but mixed with so many lies that it is almost impossible to tell them apart. However, some relics still remain, glimpses of a truth that has not been hopelessly corrupted.

From some of the deepest vaults of the fire nation's palace, a few military records can be found that were missed by the scribes who were sent to 'correct' history. Confidential reports, sent between generals. Questions raised about attack methods, doubts about the true threat posed by the air nomads.

From the Society of the While Lotus, a healer's diary can be found. A healer who belonged to the White Lotus, and helped heal fire nation soldiers on their long march home. Within its pages are descriptions of horrible wounds that should not have been inflicted by 'pacifist' monks.

From the hidden cracks of the ruined air temples, a few books that survived through the years. Meditative musings never meant to be read. Stories of monks who betrayed their vows. Stories of plans that should have never been made.

Oral histories, passed from mother to daughter, telling of a time when the four nations were in balance. Telling of how all four nations sought to become stronger, and of how the fire nation won.

Look deeply enough and a few people begin to appear more often. Connect enough dots with enough true facts and a few stories begin to appear, stolen away from the mists of time.

A monk who betrayed his people. Disliked by the other monks and rejected by the world, his heart grew bitter and hard. As the monks faced outwards, they could not know the true danger was already inside. And during the battle, when his treachery was revealed and the slaughter had begun, he was killed by his own people.

A warrior who planned the attack. Though he lacked any bending skill, he was more deadly than a hundred benders, helping the fire nation plan their attack with deadly precision. Lending his blade to the battle, he struck down countless airbenders. But he was wounded when the enemies became too numerous. The healers did what they could and he survived, though his blade never quite moved as quickly as it once did and his blows were never as powerful as they once had been.

A healer who helped the wounded. She fought with bravery during the battle, not knowing that the true test would be afterwards. Many soldiers would have died if not for her healing skills. And many soldiers died despite them. Some of her closest friends, people she loved like family, were counted among the fallen. She was offered an esteemed position as an advisor to the Fire Lord, and she grew into a nice old lady, famous for the fantastical stories she could weave about the past.

An old general who watched two cultures attack each other. The old man wanted nothing more than to be left in peace with a good cup of tea. But he was also one of the most powerful fire benders in the world, perhaps even more powerful than the Fire Lord. Both sides wanted his allegiance, both sides fed him their truths in hopes of bringing him to their cause. But he could see past the lies, into the truth buried beneath. So he did what he knew was right, and during the battle fought with a skill none could match, bending fire with such skill that they called him a dragon. But when the battle was over, the old man had vanished.

And looming above them all, an Avatar who failed to maintain the peace.

* * *

_They haunt my nights. They haunt my days_

_They haunt me with their timeless gaze_

_From their grasp I cannot flee_

_The past is reaching out to me_

_Echoes of the days long past_

_Before the great ones breathed their last_

_They claw away my brittle mind_

_The past and future intertwined_

_The once great stories now forgot_

_The once great heroes left to rot_

_Out of history now they fade_

_Their noble legacy betrayed_

_Time keeps playing its endless game_

_The only difference is the name_

_But the ancient stories lie in wait_

_For the tales of old foretell my fate_

* * *

100 years ago, Yue's Moon flew above the starless night. A blue moon made out of pure spiritual ice, which gave the water benders more power than they ever had before. And with this power, the Water Tribes attacked and wiped out the Fire Nation.

To hear the Fire Nation tell the story, it is a tale of utter horror and unthinkable murder: The fire nation citizens were peaceful peasants, who spent their days farming. They were good men who lived good lives and lived in peace. They were innocent. One day, the water tribe armies rose up and unjustly attacked. The fire nation could not withstand the cruelty and vicious power of the water tribes, their evil powered by the blue moon. The fire nation was shattered and would not fully recover for centuries. The peace was broken.

To hear the Water Tribes tell the story, it is a tale of righteous triumph and noble glory: The Fire Nation armies were preparing to take over the world. They were evil men who would stop at nothing less than the complete destruction of every other nation. They had to be stopped. So in a brave effort, the water tribes rose up and attacked. The fire nation could not withstand the bravery and righteous might of the water tribes, their skill fueled by the full moon. The fire demons were utterly defeated and would never have the chance to threaten the peace again.

What truly happened is lost to the sands of time, distorted by self-conscious nations and the silence of the dead. The truth is probably in there somewhere, but mixed with so many lies that it is almost impossible to tell them apart. However, some relics still remain, glimpses of a truth that has not been hopelessly corrupted.

From some of the deepest caves hidden by blizzards in the North Pole, a few military records can be found. Confidential reports, sent between leaders. Questions raised about attack methods, about personal grudges and flawed judgments.

From the Society of the While Lotus, a young girl's diary can be found. A healer, who had been friends with an old man who belonged to the secret society. She had helped heal water tribe warriors on their long trip home. Within its pages can be found descriptions of horrible wounds that should not have been inflicted by 'simple' farmers.

From the hidden cracks of the ruined royal palace, a few books that survived through the years. Horrible confessions never meant to be read. Stories of a prince betrayed by his country. Stories of a country betrayed by its prince. Stories about soldiers, about generals, about daughters, and about mothers. Stories of a Fire Lord that betrayed them all.

Oral histories, passed from father to son, telling of a time when the four nations were in balance. Telling of how all four nations sought to become stronger, and of how the water tribes won.

Look deeply enough and a few people begin to appear more often. Connect enough dots with enough true facts and a few stories begin to appear, stolen away from the mists of time.

A prince who betrayed his people. Scorned by the other nobles and rejected by the world, his heart grew bitter and hard. As the soldiers faced outwards, they could not know the true danger was already inside. And during the battle, when his treachery was revealed and the slaughter had begun, he was killed by his own people.

A warrior who planned the attack. Though he lacked any bending skill, he was more deadly than a hundred benders, helping the water tribes plan their attack with deadly precision. Lending his blade to the battle, he struck down countless fire benders while buying time for his companions to enter the palace. But he was wounded when the enemies became too numerous. The healers did what they could and he survived, though his blade never quite moved as quickly as it once did and his blows were never as powerful as they once had been.

A healer who helped the wounded. She fought with bravery during the battle, not knowing that the true test would be afterwards. Many soldiers would have died if not for her healing skills. And many soldiers died despite them. Some of her closest friends, people she loved like family, were counted among the fallen. She was offered an esteemed position as tribal leader, and she grew into a nice old lady, famous for the fantastical stories she could weave about the past.

An old general who watched two cultures attack each other. The old man wanted nothing more than to be left in peace with a good cup of tea. But he was also one of the most powerful fire benders in the world, perhaps even more powerful than the Fire Lord. Both sides wanted his allegiance, both sides fed him their truths in hopes of bringing him to their cause. But he could see past the lies, into the truth buried beneath. So he did what he knew was right, and during the battle fought with a skill none could match, bending fire with such skill that they called him The Dragon of the West. But when the battle was over, the old man had vanished.

And looming above them all, an Avatar who failed to maintain the peace.

* * *

History repeats itself.

Please leave a review on your way out.


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